Full Court of Supreme Court upholds 3am lockout for Adelaide drinkers

THE 3am lockout on Adelaide drinkers and clubbers entering licensed venues has been upheld by the Full Court of the Supreme Court.

The Palace Gallery challenged the new code of conduct which was introduced last October to reduce alcohol-fuelled violence.

Under the new code, venues whose licence allows them to operate past 3am must close their doors to new patrons after 3am, not sell shots or drinks with more than 30ml of alcohol, or supply free or discounted liquor after 4am.

Those venues must also switch to tempered or polycarbonate glasses from 4am, operate CCTV cameras during opening hours and hold a copy of recordings for 28 days.

If the venue has a capacity of more than 200 people, they must not permit the service of alcohol on footpaths or public areas, excluding beer gardens.

The Adelaide Casino is exempt from the new measures.

Lawyers for The Palace Gallery argued the code was invalid.

Today Chief Justice Chris Kourakis and Justices Malcolm Blue and Timothy Stanley found Parliament was within its rights to make the amendment.

Deputy Premier John Rau said the judgment was good news for South Australia.

He said it meant improvements in safety seen in the city since the code’s introduction would continue.